Pushing Culture

The Spanish Club of Fort Hays State University is being revived on campus, with the hopes of teaching students about the Spanish culture. Although the club was reactivated last semester, it hosted its first party Saturday night, April 5.

Despite the fact that the organization is a departmental club, students do not have to be a Spanish major or minor in order to join.

“You have to like the culture,” primary advisor, Conchita Espino-Bravo, said of the requirements to join. Rosa Castaneda, instructor of modern languages, acts as secondary advisor to the club, and Bryanda Martinez-Levario, Bazine senior, is the student president. Also holding positions in the Spanish Club are Ivan Garcia, II, Larned junior, as the vice president; Emmanuel Trejo, Sublette junior, as the treasurer; and Rocio Ramos, Hays senior, as the webmaster.

Garcia explained how the Spanish Club differs from the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, more commonly known around campus as HALO.

“We’ll do more culture parties, but with HALO, they do more community service projects,” he said. Garcia served as the president of HALO for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

“The idea of the Spanish Club is to promote Spanish culture at Fort Hays,” said Espino-Bravo, assistant professor of modern languages.

The organization shared some of that culture at its Spanish arty April 5. The party featured two DJs, food, games and dance lessons so all students could participate in the culture of different Spanish dancing styles.

“We started teaching some salsa steps so people could actually learn what the salsa is all about,” Espino-Bravo said. “We had about two or three hours of salsa dancing.” She said that when the DJs took over, there was a variety of current pop and hip hop music mixed with the salsa music.

One of the goals of the organization is to host a party each semester, or possibly each month, to raise money for other activities.

Espino-Bravo said the club also helps with the Spanish coffee table, Tertulia, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Thursdays in Rarick 395. Tertulia gives students a chance to meet new people and spend time around Spanish-speaking students and faculty members while enjoying games, coffee and cookies.

Garcia appeared optimistic about the Spanish Club’s future.

“We’re bringing it back to life,” Garcia said. “Hopefully next year we will have more members.”

Those interested in joining the Spanish Club may contact Espino-Bravo at c_espinobravo@fhsu.edu, or visit her office in Rarick 247.